Mechanic Boy
by Fizz Dibz
Summary: Han Solo is a servant at the Royal Family's palace in Alderaan, so has known Leia before ANH. I'm terrible at summaries, just read! Total AU, thanks so much to leapylion3 for the Beta-Read! Please Read & Review :)
1. Chapter 1

Traditional Alderaanian music echoed thorough the Aldera Royal Palace. The main ball room was filled with numerous representatives of all kinds of alien and human species from all over the galaxy. Servants circulated difficultly through groups of guests to offer every sort of food and drink possible to please the tastes of each. While the dancers had their place in the center of the ball floor, many others talked on the sides of the room. The atmosphere was joyous and the party for King Organa's birthday itself a success.

Seven-year-old Leia Organa had been preparing for the event the whole day and was at her best in her blue flowered dress with her hair only pulled in two fish-tailed braids that hung on her sides. She was as much her parent's as the whole planet's pride.

The princess made her way as quickly and politely as possible, mumbling excuses to everyone she disturbed in her course. Spotting her father in the crowd, she accelerated her pace to reach him as promptly as she could. Never having much cared about manners, she started running as fast as her little feet could take her towards the King, who was discussing, probably about politics matters, with a diplomat. But the fact he was busy conversing did not stop Leia from tugging her father's robes in search for his attention. "Daddy! I have something very important to show you, follow me!"

Bail Organa sighed before turning his attention to his daughter. "Lelila, sweetheart, daddy's talking. I have told you many times, it is rude to interrupt," He turned to his interlocutor again to maintain the conversation, but his daughter continued pulling on his clothes.

"But daddy!" she plead in an imploring tone. "It's _really_ important! It's something me and Winter did, and I want you to see it before–"

"_Winter and I,_" the King corrected her. He rolled his eyes before addressing the diplomat: "If you will excuse me, it seems I am very much needed…"

"Of course, of course!" the man answered with a faint smile before leaving Organa alone with his daughter.

Bail bent forward to his daughter after watching the politician leave. "All right butterfly, you win- show me what's so important,"

"You'll see, it's great! It took us a lot of time to do…" the Princess started while dragging her father by the hand through the crowd. She led him outside the ball room and engaged him in a few corridors to finally stop him at the kitchen quarter's doors, which where wide open to let the flood of servants entering and leaving the room circulate easily. Leia told her father to wait for her outside while she verified some last little details, and with that entered the kitchen, leaving her proud and smiling father behind him. Inside, she walked to the small table beside which her best friend was standing, waiting for her. "Is it all ready?" she asked, whispering.

"It's been ready for nearly three hours! Now go get the King," her friend answered impatiently.

"He's just there, I'll tell him to come in." With that, she did as told and went back to her father. "Okay, now you've got to keep your eyes shut and promise you won't open them until I tell you!"

Bail closed his eyes, an amused grin still floating on his lips. With his daughter guiding him by the hand, he walked forward, unconscious of where he was headed until his daughter said he could open his eyes. "Now!" she decided after stopping him. Slowly, he let his eyelids open again and was amazed by the sight before him. On a small table was exposed a beautiful black and white cake composed of three floors and decorated with delicate representation of various animals that lived on Alderaan. It was clearly a child's design, but even though, it was beautiful, especially to the King's eyes, being partly his daughter's creation. "Happy birthday!" Leia and Winter wished in unison.

"You two did this?" asked Organa, astonished.

"Yes, your Highness, with a little help from the cooks," Winter answered for both girls.

"It's wonderful, girls, thank you so much." The father hugged his daughter tightly in his arms and kissed Winter's forehead.

Few guests were still dancing or conversing in the ball room, for most of them had been gone for a little while, seeing how late it was. But in the corridors of the palace, despite the late hour, Leia and Winter where still playing, avoiding the servants because knowing if they didn't do so, they would immediately be put to bed. The two girls were playing hide and seek, and it was now Winter's turn to hide. After counting thirty seconds to let her friend the time to hide well, Leia quietly began searching the palace for her. Having looked in all the possible places except for one, she headed for the very room, the ball room. She just _knew_ her friend was hiding there.

And she was right, she acknowledged after spotting a tip of white hair from under a food table. Knowing she couldn't be seen by any of her parents by risk of being sent to bed, the Princess silently made her way through the remaining people to the table. Leia kneeled in front of the table and lifted the tablecloth, expecting to find Winter. But just as she did, her friend crawled out from under the piece of furniture and started running to the door, immediately followed by the other girl. Running through the main hall, Leia felt she could nearly touch her friend and by so win the game, when suddenly, she was lifted up from the floor while Winter disappeared in the corridors again. "Gotcha'!" she heard a voice say.

"Let go of me!" she yelled in return, starting to kick her assailant. "I'm the Princess of this palace, you barve!"

"And where did a Princess learn such naughty language?" the now cocky voice spoke again.

Leia turned in the man's arms to see his face. Her aggressor was tall with brown disheveled hair and eyes that seemed gray, green and brown all at once, probably around the age of seventeen years old. She knew the boy, yet… she couldn't remember from where. "I don't know you. Who are you?" she directly asked.

The boy raised an eyebrow but did not let go of her. "Well, sorry if I'm not good enough for Your Highnessness to remember me. 'Mechanic boy', remember? That's how you called me when I helped you fix the broken speeder,"

Ah, yes. Now she remembered. He was of the maintenance staff, and he was particularly good with mechanics and that was why he had indeed repaired her speeder a few weeks ago after she had accidently broken it by bumping it into Winter's while playing on them. Well, actually, they weren't exactly their speeders, but they were the palace's, which made them the royal family's and, technically, by that, made them Leia's.

"Okay, great, I remember you, now let go of me!" she started kicking again, harder that time, but the boy did not flinch.

"Oh no young girl, the King told me to catch you and bring you to your bedroom. Time to go to sleep."

"NO!" the child yelled louder. " I. don't. want. To go. To bed!"

"Well, too bad, Princess," was the boy's only reply. With that, he started walking to Leia's private quarters, not letting go of her. _She is such a spoiled brat…_ he thought. The girl continued yelling and kicking the whole way to her room, but, again, the boy did not wince. The King himself had told him to do the job, so he would do it. He did not speak all the way, only when he arrived before the door, opened it and finally let her down. "Here we are. A servant is waiting inside; she'll take on from now,"

Leia stood on her feet and glared directly into the boy's eyes. "I. Don't. Like. You." She simply said between her tightly clenched teeth. "Now, go. Away,"

A grin formed itself at the corner of the boy's mouth as he ignored the girl's demand. He winked before adding: "Ever need any help again with a speeder, just ask for Han,"

"GO AWAY!" she repeated, this time yelling. But he stood there with his grin, enjoying seeing the little princess angry.

"Get in your room first,"

"No! _I'm_ the Princess, I decide- _you_ go away first!"

He shook his head in negation before replying. "Sorry, no way, I gotta make sure you get _in_ your room first,"

Leia let out and infuriated growl before obliging and entering the door, wishing electronic doors could slap. Because if they could have, she definitely would have slapped it. She could _ hear_ the smirk in Han's face as he spoke. "G'night Princess!"

"I DON'T LIKE YOU!" she yelled one last time as he walked away a large grin still stapled to his face, his mission accomplished.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey Everyone =)

First, thanks to leapylion3 again for beta-reading!

Thank you all also for the nice reviews, as well as the ones for _Unexpected Kiss_!

This is just a really short Chapter before the real story begins, to set well Han and Leia's relationship for now :)

Disclaimer: I'm not George Lucas, never have been, never will be for sure! :P

Read & Review!

* * *

"Hey, you,"

The man turned around, wondering if he was the one whom somebody was referring to as "you". Behind him was standing none other than her _all-and-mighty Highnessness_, the Royal Princess Leia, hands resting on each of her hips, giving her a certain air of royalty. At fourteen years old, she was promising to become a great politician, probably a senator, but, although she was as tomboyish as a girl could be, she was still a Princess and would remain one.

Han grinned before turning back to what he was working on. A few days ago, King Organa himself had asked the young man to equip his personal _Aka'jor_-class shuttle with light laser cannons, for extra safety, although he hoped he would not have to use them. Of course, Han had immediately taken the job with great enthusiasm; he knew it could be his best chance to make his talents in mechanics known.

"I have a name, you know," He told the Princess.

"Yes, of course; mechanic boy, right?" She continued sharply while Han's smirk grew wider. "Anyways, I need your help,"

Han raised his eyebrows in feigned surprise before answering. "Her Worship descending from her royal throne to ask help from a simple mortal, and, even better, a simple servant like me? Well, that's most astonishing…"

It took all of Leia's willpower not to throw her fist in the young man's face. He was so…_arrogant_. It was the best way to describe him, amongst so many other words. And how dare he refer to her in such ways? "You bantha breath…" she whispered through her clenched teeth, not really knowing if she wanted him to hear her or not, which he did.

"Ah, ah, what was that?" he asked innocently. Just to irritate her further, he continued. "Did I hear a bad word escape her Royalness' delicate lips, or was that just my imagination? I'm not sure your father would like to hear about that…"

Leia gave him a death glare before her face became serene again and a small smile formed the corners of her mouth. "You know what? Just forget it then. But you can kiss goodbye all those credits I was gonna pay you…"

Han's face suddenly grew serious. "Credits? How much?"

Of course. As soon as she had started talking about credits, he was much more attentive…It was known that he had a thing for money. But, at least Leia knew she had him. She too smirked before talking. "I knew we could come to an agreement."

"Okay, so, watcha want me to do? And how much am I going to be paid?"

"Well, here's the plan…"


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone!

First, thanks for all the nice reviews =3 It's what encourages me to write, so please continue!

Now that I'm on vacation, I'm home for next week before leaving, so that will give me plenty of time to update fast :D

Thanks again to leapylion3 for the beta-read!

Disclaimer: This will be the last time I say it for this story, 'cause I seriously don't see the point of repeating it every chapter: I DO NOT OWN STAR WARS, because I am not George Lucas and do not even to be him, because in that case I would have created the characters in Star Wars and so could not believe that Han Solo might actually exist, which would be depressing. Have I lost you? Anyways, all this to say I sadly do not own Star Wars and even MORE sadly do not own Han Solo =( Nor Harrison Ford or any of his characters as a matter of fact... Why? :(

Soooo here's Chapter Three =D

* * *

The palace felt quiet, more quiet than usual. Servants and diplomats still wandered about their business in the corridors, and outwardly, everything seemed perfectly normal, but inside, Leia could feel something wasn't all that normal. Her stomach fluttered the way she knew it always did before something important happened; only she could never know if the "thing" in question was going to be good or bad. Unconsciously, she accelerated her pace through the hallway and quickly entered a turbolift. The meeting she had just attended had left her tired, and the Princess could only think of rejoining her room and taking a long and needed nap before yet another exhausting but critical reunion. Being a high figure of the Rebellion against the Galactic Empire at no more than nineteen years old was often very tiring. It implied numerous meetings and flights to all different bases the Rebels used for hiding, but, above all, hours of long and hard work, and all of it done in complete secret. But Leia knew it was her duty and responsibility to do all possible to free the Galaxy from the vicious Empire.

Arriving at her room, Leia waited for the door to open after pressing the right button before throwing herself on her bed with a deep sigh. Winter, being gone on a secret mission for the Rebellion, and the King and Queen being as busy as they always were, the young woman felt lonely these past few days. She thought overloading herself on work would help forget the feeling, but it only seemed to remind her of it and make it feel more prominent. And being a Princess did not bring her a normal social life as the ones of others her age… With those thoughts, she drifted into a light sleep.

An uncomfortable feeling of insecurity woke the Princess less than an hour later. The twinge of her stomach had become stronger, which worried her. Getting up from her bed, she walked to the large window with view on the city. Nothing seemed abnormal, for the people still wandered in the streets under the hot afternoon sun. Trusting her feelings, Leia took the turbolift again to the main floor and headed towards her father's office, but stopped, looking around. Where were the servants? Only half of the usual number was to be seen, which was definitely _not_ normal. The Princess walked faster, fighting the urge to run to try not to alarm others, when she was suddenly pulled to the side. Before a scream could escape her lips, rough hands were thrown over her mouth.

"Don't yell," Whispered a voice behind her.

Leia did as told but turned around to face her assailant. She let her tensed muscles relax when she recognized the young man. Han Solo, also know to her as "Mechanic Boy". Her worried expression became angry at his sight; she _did not_ like this boy, even if she hadn't often talked to him.

"Don't _ever_ do that to me again, understood?" She snapped at him. She expected to see one of his usual lopsided grin formed at the corner of his mouth, but his look stayed stoic. He even seemed… worried. And if _Han Solo_ was worried, then something had to be _very_ wrong. "What? Will someone tell me what's happening around here?"

Han brought a finger to his lips in sign of silence and grabbed Leia's arm to drag her to the hangar bay by the most deserted corridors of the palace. She followed him without a sound, now truly anxious. Once arrived, the servant pointed his finger in the direction of a large ship, one she knew did not belong to Alderaan.

"Imperials," was all he stated.

Leia's eyes widened in terror and understanding. She suddenly comprehended why half the servants were hiding and why something felt not normal; the Imperials were not on Alderaan for a meeting or any other diplomatic reason. They must have known about her family's affiliation with the Rebellion. They had suspected it for a long time, but now, some way or another, they had acquired proofs. Leia started to turn back. "We have to go tell my father,"

Han's hand tightened around her arm to prevent her from going any further. "Oh, trust me, your father already knows, Princess. They've come _for_ him. They're probably already in his office. They want it to be a quiet operation, so they've stunned every servant on their path and stayed inside the palace. You're lucky they hadn't seen you yet."

Leia's eyes grew bigger at the possibility of the Imperials having already reached her father. She tried to pull away from Solo's grip. "Then we have to do something! Send the guards! Let me alert the guards!"

"Sorry, sweetheart, but your father specifically asked me to get you off-planet and to the Rebel base as soon as he saw the ship,"

"No!" The Princess started struggling and kicking, but Han placed his hand back to keep her from screaming and alerting anyone. In despair, she turned around and used her free hand to punch his face. He looked startled for an instant but quickly grabbed the hand he had been punched with and looked her deeply in the eyes.

"I'm sorry Leia. I really am," She saw real compassion in his eyes which made hers begin to fill with tears. "But I have to get you outta here. For your father. And for the Rebellion. Your father's gonna be okay, you'll see. He knows how to deal with Imperials,"

Leia swallowed before nodding sharply. He was right. She could not be taken by the Imperials, for the sake of the Rebellion. "Okay, let's go," aid Han before leading her through the hangar. He stopped in front of a ship, well… not describable in any other way than "piece of junk".

"Where did you dig that old… _thing_?" Leia asked while throwing him a side-glance.

Han looked offended but answered: "Hey, she's beautiful! And faster than any other ship of this Galaxy. Your father gave it to me three years ago for all my good services. He saw me showing a lot of interest, and he didn't want it anymore. I wonder why. Anyways, it's mine now, and there's not time to discuss. Get inside,"

The two ran in the ship and Han sat himself in the pilot's chair while Leia took place in the copilot's. "I hope this thing flies…"

Solo threw her another hurt look instead of answering. The ship took off a few seconds later and Leia looked through the window bay as she saw the palace diminish under her eyes. But the most impressive sight was the one they both missed, for it was on the other side of the planet and where they were looking: The Death Star.

"Great, now let's get to this Rebel Base and hope no Imperials chase us,"

Leia's eyes filled with tears again as she watched the ship leave the planet. What if the Empire _did _capture her father? What would happen to him? Would she even ever see him again? And what about her mother? Would she be taken too?

"Hey, Princess…" Han's concerned voice interrupted her thoughts.

She looked at him while trying to wipe away her tears with her arm. "It's just…what if I never see them again?"

Han rested his hand on her shoulder and stared in her eyes: "Hey, listen to me. They'll be okay,"

Leia nodded before turning her head to the ground, missing the sight of the deadly green blast leaving the Death Star to hit Alderaan.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everyone! I'm still alive! I haven't had any time to write during summer and the beginning of school year, but I'm back now! =)

Thanks as usual to leapylion3 for beta-reading!

And of course, thank you everyone for all the nice reviews, follows and favorites =3

* * *

Life was unfair. It had always been and would always be. But could it really be _that _unfair? Did it really have the right to take all- to take _everything_-from someone? Maybe, maybe not, but it _had _taken everything away. Leia did not even understand. Her brain could not process the information given to her. It could not accept that everything and everyone she loved was gone.

All had happened so fast she had not even realized it had. Just when the _Falcon_ had been ready to enter hyperspace, the planet of Alderaan had suddenly disappeared from the spaceship's scopes to be replaced by thousands of what seemed to be asteroids. One of them had hit them, but Han's first reflex was to pull the ship up to avoid any other blast. Only the mysterious rocks seemed to be everywhere, and all coming from one precise location… Alderaan's. And Han suddenly understood what had happened when he noticed the presence of the Imperial's 'ship' on the _Falcon_'s sensors.

Of course, the pilot had, as everyone else, heard the rumors about the Empire's new battle station and its armaments, but, as most, he had not thought them to be true. _Nothing_, not even the greatest battle station, could possibly possess power strong enough to actually have the capacity of destroying a planet. But there was proof that he was wrong. Alderaan had just been destroyed. Only one question remained: _why_?

Not waiting any longer for the Imperials to realize a ship had escaped the destruction, the _Falcon_'s pilot made the jump to hyperspace, aiming no particular destination. Once assured the spaceship was safe for the moment, Han cautiously turned his seat to face the princess. Not a word had been said, but from the look on her face, the pilot knew she too had understood what had happened.

"I…" Han attempted, but only to realize he had nothing to say. For a moment, when understanding had struck Leia has it had with Han, the princess hadn't breathed nor said anything, nor did she think. Her mind had gone completely blank, as if her brain had momentarily forgotten how to work. The following minute, while the ship was hit before entering hyperspace, she could do nothing but stare straight ahead at the view the cockpit offered. But when Han got up wordlessly passed his arms around her to hold her tight against him, Leia's legs started shaking and her body slid towards the ground, no longer able to support her. Han did not let go but fell with her and simply held her tighter. Tears uncontrollably streamed down her face while she let out an aching cry of agony against the servant's chest. Right now, nothing mattered; nothing existed, but her grief.

Han spent over an hour simply holding Leia securely against him, sometimes rocking back and forth, sometimes gently caressing her hair, as he would have done with a youngling trying to go to sleep. Not a word was spoken, but none was needed, for it was not the kind of comfort needing any. It was all Leia wanted and required, and she eventually fell asleep in his arms, tightly clutching to him, for he was all she had left.

Cold air against her arm's bare skin woke Leia up. She searched within the reach of her hands for her cover, but could not find it. Too tired to extend the search any more, she folded her arms against her chest and curled up the best she could to keep her warmth. She was surprised not the feel the soft fabric of night clothes under her fingers but rather the harsh one of her day clothes. She must have felt asleep as soon as she had stepped foot in her room, not taking care of changing. After all, the day had been most tiring, with three different secret meetings concerning the Rebellion to attend to. She had barely had time to see her mother and father. Eyes still closed, Leia rolled to the side in attempt to find a more comfortable position but hit the wall next to her bed.

_There's no wall on either side of my bed, it's in the middle of… _Leia's eyes shot wide open. No. Not her bed. Not her room. _Those are gone,_ she reminded herself, a lonely tear strolling down her cheek. _With everything else. Everything._

"Hey, Princess?"

Leia snapped out of her thoughts and raised her eyes from her cup to Han. She had once again been caught in memories of Alderaan, as she had since she woke up. She had eaten nothing from her breakfast, only pushed her plate away, and nor had she touched her kaffe, only stared at it while lost in thoughts. Seeing that, Han stood up and took his and Leia's plates to clear the table. Only when his back was face to her did he speak.

"Ya know…" he started, without turning to her. "If you, um, well…ya know, if you ever need to talk about it…I'm here."

When he turned to face her, what she saw discomfort, but also strong compassion. Not false compassion. The kind of compassion of someone who knows how you feel for having experienced the same of a similar emotion, which at first surprised the princess. Only then it struck her: he, too, had lost. Alderaan may not have been his birth planet, for she knew he was in fact from Corellia, but he still had lived there for many years. He most probably had too lost people or things he cared about, maybe loved. But who, or what? Leia suddenly realized how little she knew Han Solo and how selfish she had been. She had only thought of her own grief, and not for one moment his. _Kest_, she could be stupid.

"I'm sorry," the words escaped her quickly.

"What? What about?" Han asked while frowning, confused.

"I'm sorry for having been so selfish! I wasn't –I wasn't even thinking about you at all! I only thought about me, and my pain, but never yours…" Tears started streaming down her face and her talk became more and more abstract as sadness took over her. "And you–you, you held me, and comforted me, and I… I just… I'm so sorry…"

Han hastily put the plates on the small counter and went back to Leia, resting one knee on the ground beside her. He placed a hand on her back and rubbed it gently while she let her head fall on his shoulder. "It's okay…shh…it's alright, everything's gonna be okay…" he calmed her, softly stroking her hair as she wet his blouse with tears.

She shook her head in his shirt and answered through her sobbing, "No, no! Nothing is going to be alright, _nothing_! Everything is wrong, just wrong…oh, Kriff, this can't be happening, how could this be happening…please tell me it's just a bad dream, a nightmare, I'm going to wake up… And nothing will have happened…I…"

Han said no more and once again held her against him until she went back to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey everyone! I know, I've been a really bad person, I haven't updated in so long... Well, you know, school, Christmas exams, then Christmas vacations, and life in general... Anyways, so very belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! :)

Well, finally, here's the next chapter! By the way, I haven't given my chapters any titles ('cause I usually suck at that, I can never find a good «name»), but if I were to give this chapter title, it would be «Dumb, egoistic, self-centered, heartless jerk», you'll quickly understand why ;)

As always, thanks to leapylion3 for beta-reading! Read and Review =)

* * *

"So, Princess… Where are we going?"

Leia turned her head slightly to face him, frowning. Han stood arm crossed, leaning against the bunk room's doorframe. Leia had been lying on her bunk for over an hour, simply looking up at the ceiling, lost in thoughts. "What do you mean?"

Han uncrossed his arms and walked towards her. "Well, what I mean is we've been floating around in space for now three days, with nowhere to go. Your father told me to bring you to the Rebel base, only I don't know where it is."

"Why didn't he tell you?", she asked, confused.

"I guess I just ain't the most trustworthy person around, aren't I?", he replied with a grin. "The King just said to ask you. Besides, I'm not part of this group, or whatever it is. Being the altruistic guy working for the good of the galaxy ain't my thing."

Leia felt every muscle of her body suddenly tense. How much of a dumb, egoistic, self-centered, heartless jerk could the man get? "I see.", she hissed. "I guess my father _was_ indeed right not to trust you. I bet you would have told the location of the base to the first Imperial who asked, in exchange for a couple of credits, had you had the chance."

At that, Han's face lost the infuriatingly smug grin it seemed to constantly bear. "Is that really all you think of me? Anything for credits?".

The former princess turned her head to avoid facing him before replying. "Perhaps."

"Well you know what? Maybe you're right! Maybe I'll do just that, tell the Empire where you hopeless band is hiding! Actually, why bother trying to get you to tell me, now that you know the secret plan I've been elaborating for years? I'll just turn you over to the Empire now, for a _couple of credits_, I'm sure _they'll_ have quite convincing ways to get you to talk! You know what else? You don't know me. At all. So don't go making any guesses. But I figured you just about right, I'm pretty sure. You're just a spoiled little brat who thinks she can say whatever she wants just 'cause you're a princess. Well, guess what? It might have been cute when you when you were just a youngling, but now it's damn despicable!"

Leia stayed open-mouthed, aghast, and unable to talk. He walked towards the door and stopped at mid-way. "Look, I won't have you insulting and degrading me on _my _ship. Back there I was just your servant, and I depended on you, in a certain way, but now I think things have gone just the other way. So watch your pretty little mouth if you don't want to find yourself, oh, I don't know, on a Imperial star destroyer, maybe."

With that, he left the room. He hadn't been able to contain himself once he had started. But he knew he had gone too far. He, too, had been under a lot of stress because of fear of the Empire knowing they had escaped and purchasing them. But even then… what he had just said was stupid, and he knew it. Only, she had seemed to ask for it. What did she think he was, a dumb, egoistic, self-centered, heartless jerk?

It was too much for Leia. She broke in tears, even though she had promised herself she wouldn't anymore.

Han hesitated at the door. He had to go back in there and apologize. But then again, after what he had just said, he also knew that somehow, he couldn't just _go back in there and apologize_. But he'd come back in just an hour or two, he already knew he couldn't bare the guilt after that. For now, though, she would probably be better alone.

When Leia woke up, her pillow was still wet with tears she had shed after the fight earlier, which told her she probably hadn't slept long. She was curled up against the wall, a cover she did not remember being on her bunk sprawled on top of her. She heard the sound of a soft breathing that was not hers next to her. She turned around to face the only person to whom it could belong.

"I'm sorry…", Han whispered, his face a clear mask of guilt.

How long had _he_ been there? Was it he who had put that cover on her?

"It's alright," she whispered back, not letting any emotion pierce through her voice. And it _was _alright. Thinking about it now, she knew she had provoked him to say the harsh word he had said, and so it was also her fault. It had hurt on the moment, but now she had once again closed her heart to all emotions as she had decided to do after sobbing for the lost of her home and family. Crying would avail to nothing, even though it _did_ feel good at first, and so would letting her emotions take control of her.

"No it's not alright… I was completely stupid and dumb and idiot," he countered.

She sat up next to him. "Han, we all say completely stupid and dumb and idiot things when we're mad. Me, particularly. It's alright, I tell you. It's forgotten already."

He simply nodded before taking her hand and raising it up to his mouth before gently kissing it, never breaking eye contact with her. Such a simple, obsolete gesture that should _definitely not _have made all those stupid butterflies in Leia's stomach gone completely mad as it had. "Okay," Han added.

"Yavin," Leia quickly let out as to change her mind from the reaction she should _not _have felt for that _simple, obsolete gesture_.

"What?", Han asked, confused.

It worked. Leia took control of her mind and body once again before casually taking back possession of her hand and answering, as if nothing had happened. "Yavin IV. The rebel base. It… It's on Yavin IV."

"Oh. Yes, of course," Han said. "I'll go put that on the navicomputer right away." With that, he got up and walked to the door. He turned around, as if hesitating, and looked at her. He nodded once more and suddenly, his _oh-so-infuriating_ smirk was back on his face, and he left.

Well, at least he had apologized. Maybe he wasn't that much of a dumb, egoistic, self-centered, heartless jerk.


End file.
